R1S Collision Repair Ordeal

[beatle]

Good luck finding a Lightning.

What are you talking about? Lightnings are all over the place now. There are 31 available within 20 miles of me. A friend of mine walked in and bought one just a few weeks ago.

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[NY_Rob]

It's not just Rivian... Jeep owners have reported waiting 3 months on average to get a new transmission for the 4xe's. You never know this kind of stuff till it happens to someone, but with some of the bespoke parts that make up modern vehicles, I think this is going to unfortunately become more common going forward.

 

[JM.]

Good luck finding a Lightning.

I've driven two of them in different trims and they are commonly available. What luck is needed? But it falls FAR short of Rivian in everything except for ADAS and repairability.

Weird, you've never been considering a Rivian. Why act like you are?

LOL what? It still top of my list, after driving the others.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Also for those curious about insurance policies covering rental cars...most of them have gotten smart and only cover "active repair time" and will decline your rental costs for "time waiting on parts".

My policy only covers 30 days.

 

[planetx88]

What are you talking about? Lightnings are all over the place now. There are 31 available within 20 miles of me. A friend of mine walked in and bought one just a few weeks ago.

Huh, I actually went hunting for one about two weeks ago, and the dealer claimed that work slow-downs and stoppages at the plant that makes them had killed off most of the inventory. Maybe that was just a line he fed me?

 

[Jonger1150]

I knew this was going to be an issue from day 1.

In fact I won't let my significant other drive the R1T due to the risks involved with accidents and repairs. When a storm comes, the Rivian gets the open garage slot and the Blazer EV gets the driveway.

Are you really shocked by any of this? It's a new company and a new vehicle. Who expected quick turnaround times? Enjoy the mainstream ease of Chevy EVs. You'll also get updates with zero notes or improvements...... It's a mainstream low risk venture.

I never signed up for mainstream.

Why doesn't she just drive the vehicle until the parts are in? Did a deer hit to the door disable the vehicle that severely?

 

[JM.]

Huh, I actually went hunting for one about two weeks ago, and the dealer claimed that work slow-downs and stoppages at the plant that makes them had killed off most of the inventory. Maybe that was just a line he fed me?

Your answer is at: https://shop.ford.com/showroom/?gnav=footer-shop&linktype=inventory#/

There are several dozen near me right now. The Dodge is the only one not available, it's delayed.

 

[Jonger1150]

That's fair. Its an accumulation. What really upset us is that in 24 hour period Rivian said they will "not support a rental", then they called us and said they would provide one, then I spoke to a nice lady in service support who setup the rental, then the same lady called me back 90 minutes later and said Rivian has changed course and will not support a rental.

Its an accumulation of the replacement last year, the 4 month ordeal with my R1T, and then this issue. Forget Rivian for a second....if this was any other car maker we would be in the same boat....in fact....I would have probably walked away last year had it been any other brand. Because it is Rivian we were more willing to be patient and understand than we would have been with other brands.

We are seeing the repair through but we aren't going to put ourselves in the position to have this potentially happen again.

Is the R1S not drivable? A deer hit the side of her door (which looks minor) and it's completely disabled?

 

[DuoRivian]

I would have expected the factory to be able to make spare parts given that production of finished vehicles is below capacity.

 

[Luvolbikes]

I fully understand your position and appreciate your intention of helping a start-up company with a worthwhile mission. It's impossible to know when you get in , what your individual experience will be. I have been lucky with zero problems approaching a year of ownership.
If Rivian was my only vehicle I might be more concerned about possible long waits and frequent issues , should they occur. In the early stages of production of an innovative high tech vehicle it is advisable to have a back up transportation source, even if it's just an inexpensive used car. Certainly this would not be advise for a well established company that doesnt have Rivian's growing pains. I am more than happy to accommodate for the expenses and inconveniences of early Rivian ownership because of the mission of Rivian.
You will be welcomed back, should that day come.

 

[NeedSumCoffee]

So I was contacted (like many) about the HVAC drain plug and hub bolt issues. Rivian, who cant keep up with regular service, obviously cannot handle this additional influx of work. So they partnered with a large local body shop to do the work for them and get me in quicker.

I was amazed when I went to drop off my Rivian, the lot behind their shop must have had 30+ Rivians all lined up in various states of repair/assembly.... all awaiting parts. Many had been there months.

I am with OP on this one. I love my R1S but it seems even a minor fender bender could be a 3-6 month fix. Brutal.

 

[zymolysis]

Agreed, cheap packing is an expensive way for them to save money.

Rivian should contract with a packaging engineering firm to design boxes/crates to protect these scarce and expensive parts during the shipping process. With the millions of dollars of parts that they ship, it won't take many saves to pay for whatever it costs. Happier customers would be the icing on the cake.

 

[Hillbilly]

That door with the "unrepairable stamping defect" would be perfect for a temporary repair to keep OP's Rivian on the road while awaiting the perfect new parts. I can't understand the mentality that it is okay to leave customers waiting for months and months. Rivian needs to do better, to be more responsive. There have got to be a lot of options, for a company that is willing to go the extra mile to keep customers happy.

No shit. Likewise, could have saved the money they spent on my rental if they just said bring the truck in when we have the door ready.

 

[Rae11]

I'm confused....is there a reason you aren't getting a rental through your insurance company?

I had a similar situation after being hit by a deer in my R1T literally the second day of ownership when they were extremely supply constrained in July 22. It ended up taking several months to get it fixed, and certainly there were phonecalls and fights with my insurance company but they did pay for the rental as it was part of my coverage.

Insurance usually caps rentals for periods of weeks to a month. It’s not indefinite.

 

[dleepnw]

I'm confused....is there a reason you aren't getting a rental through your insurance company?

I had a similar situation after being hit by a deer in my R1T literally the second day of ownership when they were extremely supply constrained in July 22. It ended up taking several months to get it fixed, and certainly there were phonecalls and fights with my insurance company but they did pay for the rental as it was part of my coverage.

Also confused why your insurance isn't providing a rental if you have rental coverage. Even if its capped for a duration of time, you have options. If you don't, you can't put this all on Rivian.

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